1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, method, and system, and to a computer-readable storage medium having a program for image processing stored therein. More particularly, the present invention relates to technology for managing digitized image data and technology for protecting the copyright of the image data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, for example, a system is known in which coded image data is exchanged between a client side and a server side over a communication network or the like.
For example, a first system can be constructed in such a way that a server side transfers an image file (coded) requested from a client side as is to the client side. A second system can be constructed in such a way that after an encryption process is performed on the entire image file requested from the client side, key information for decoding a code, together with the image file, is transferred to the client side.
However, digital data has a property that a complete copy can be easily created in large numbers. Therefore, in the first system in which a digitized image is transferred as is, there is a problem that a copy having the same properties as those of the original image may be illegally created, and the illegal copy can be redistributed on the client side. Appropriate royalties, which should be paid to the author of the image data or to an agent (seller) to whom right of sale is legally entrusted by the author, are not paid, and the copyright is infringed.
Furthermore, in the second system in which an encryption process is performed on the entire image file for the purpose of protecting the copyright, an image file which is available to the general public and which can be referred to by anybody, and an image file on which an encryption process is performed, which is transferred when a request is made from a specific client side, must be separately provided, and these must be used differently according to the situation.
An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems.
Another object of the present invention is to provide technology for easily and reliably managing an image used for a plurality of types of purposes and for reliably protecting the copyright of the image.
A further object of the present invention is to provide technology for easily and reliably protecting the copyright of an image used for a plurality of types of purposes without requiring a complex process in an image processing apparatus, method, and system, and in a computer-readable storage medium having a program stored therein.
In order to achieve the above objects, in a first aspect, the present invention provides an image processing apparatus comprising coding means for converting image data into hierarchical coded data; and encryption means for encrypting a predetermined hierarchy among the hierarchical coded data, wherein a code for causing a part of a process for decoding the hierarchical coded data to be skipped is added to the encrypted hierarchy.
In a second aspect, the present invention provides an image processing apparatus comprising: decoding means for decoding an image file composed of hierarchical coded data; and decryption means for decrypting a hierarchy to which is added a code for causing a part of a process of the decoding means to be skipped among the hierarchical coded data.
In a third aspect, the present invention provides an image processing apparatus comprising: decoding means for decoding an image file composed of hierarchical coded data; and control means for controlling the decoding means to decode a hierarchy to which is not added a code for causing a part of a process of the decoding means to be skipped among the hierarchical coded data.
In a fourth second aspect, the present invention provides an image processing apparatus comprising: coding means for converting an input image into hierarchical coded data; and means for adding a code for causing a part of a process for decoding the hierarchical coded data to be skipped, to a predetermined hierarchy among the hierarchical coded data.
In a fifth aspect, the present invention provides an image processing method, comprising the steps of: converting image data into hierarchical coded data; encrypting a predetermined hierarchy among the hierarchical coded data; and adding to the encrypted hierarchy a code for causing a part of a process for decoding the hierarchical coded data to be skipped.
In a sixth aspect, the present invention provides an image processing method comprising the steps of: decoding image data which is converted into hierarchical coded data; and decrypting a hierarchy to which is added a code for causing a part of a process of the decoding step to be skipped.
In a seventh aspect, the present invention provides an image processing method comprising the steps of: decoding an image file composed of hierarchical coded data; and controlling the decoding step to decode a hierarchy to which is not added a code for causing a part of a process of the decoding step to be skipped among the hierarchical coded data.
In an eighth aspect, the present invention provides an image processing method comprising the steps of: converting image data into hierarchical coded data; and adding to a predetermined hierarchy among the hierarchical coded data a code for causing a part of a process for decoding the hierarchical coded data to be skipped.
In a ninth aspect, the present invention provides an image processing system comprising: a first apparatus comprising coding means for converting image data into hierarchical coded data, and means for adding to a predetermined hierarchy among the hierarchical coded data a predetermined code for causing a process for decoding hierarchical coded data to be skipped; and a second apparatus comprising decoding means for decoding the hierarchical coded data, wherein the second apparatus decodes a hierarchy other than the hierarchy to which the predetermined code is added.
In a tenth aspect, the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a program for image processing, the program comprising the steps of: converting image data into hierarchical coded data; encrypting a predetermined hierarchy among the hierarchical coded data; and adding to the encrypted hierarchy a code for causing a part of a process for decoding the hierarchical coded data to be skipped.
In an eleventh aspect, the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a program for image processing, the program comprising the steps of: decoding image data which is converted into hierarchical coded data; and decrypting a hierarchy to which is added a code for causing a part of a process of the decoding means to be skipped among the hierarchical coded data.
In a twelfth aspect, the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a program for image processing, the program comprising the steps of: decoding an image file composed of hierarchical coded data; and controlling the decoding step to decode a hierarchy to which is not added a code for causing a part of a process of the decoding step to be skipped among the hierarchical coded data.
In a thirteenth aspect, the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a program for image processing, the program comprising the steps of: converting image data into hierarchical coded data; and adding to a predetermined hierarchy among the hierarchical coded data a code for causing a part of a process for decoding the hierarchical coded data to be skipped.
Still other objects of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, will become fully apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiment.